


The Upper Hand

by Spiderlily_Writes



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Blackmail, Enemies to enemies who fuck, F/M, Hate Sex, Hubert is easier to manipulate than he thinks he is, Mild Yearning, Teasing, implied infidelity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:48:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26125270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spiderlily_Writes/pseuds/Spiderlily_Writes
Summary: Hubert and Hilda have been at each others' throats for the last several days, and their respective royals are sick of it. Edelgard and Claude lock them in a room together to sort out their differences, but that's notquitehow it goes.
Relationships: Hilda Valentine Goneril/Claude von Riegan, Hilda Valentine Goneril/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 26
Kudos: 82





	The Upper Hand

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a self indulgent hatefuck spawned by a twitter thread. Enjoy!

“I don’t want to hear it, Hilda, I told you to cut it out. We’re trying to be diplomatic here, and you can’t stop picking fights,” Claude said, exasperated. “We’ve been in Enbarr for three days, Hilda. _Three_! And you and Hubert have interrupted meetings at least half a dozen times with your constant sniping.”

“But _Claude_ ,” Hilda groaned, drawing out her husband’s name into a long, petulant whine. “He’s such an _asshole_ ! He can’t take a joke, he just stands there looming over the table like a villain in a bad opera and frowns at everything.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Why don’t you go yell at _him?”_

“I don’t have to. I’m pretty sure she’s doing that right now.” Claude cast a look across the room to where the Emperor and her retainer were having an equally hushed, but very animated, conversation.

* * *

“I don’t _care_ if you don’t like her, Hubert, you’re acting like a child. I expected better from you!” Edelgard hissed. “Maybe not from her, but from you, I expected at least a modicum of decorum while we try to negotiate an unprecedented international trade agreement that will enable free movement and put an end to _decades_ of hostilities. What has gotten _into_ you?” She drummed her fingertips on her arm, looking at him expectantly.

Hubert felt heat rise in his face as she scolded him, but he tried to ignore it, keeping his tone even. “Your Majesty, you would ask me to tolerate disrespect of a sort that-”

“Yes, Hubert, I would, because this is bigger than any of the four of us, and you know as well as I do that that’s simply how Hilda _is._ I don’t like it either, but as Claude’s wife, she has every right to be present. More right, even, than _you_ have.”

. His liege was right. He wouldn’t admit it aloud, of course, but it stung nonetheless. The idea that Hilda Valentine von Riegan, née Goneril, had a more rightful claim to presence at this negotiation than he did was positively _galling_. 

“I am sorry, Lady Edelgard. I will endeavor to keep it from happening again,” he said through gritted teeth. Edelgard fixed him with an icy stare, searching his eyes for sincerity. She found none, and he knew it.

"You're not sorry, Hubert. But give it time, and surely we can find you the proper motivation."

* * *

“Your Majesty, you _must_ not be serious.” Hubert said, aghast.

Edegard met his eye, unmoving, her lips drawn to a thin, angry line. “Deadly serious, Hubert. Claude and I are tired of having to separate you two like feral cats.”

“Claude, this isn’t _fair!”_ Hilda huffed beside him, stomping one foot on the hard stone floor of the spare office. “This is cruel and unusual punishment! I’ll tell Holst you’re being mean to me!” Only Hilda would try to intimidate a king by threatening to tell her brother, but judging by the shudder that ran through Claude’s body, it almost worked.

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take, my love,” he said, shrugging. “You and Hubert need to learn to get along, and you won’t listen to us. Maybe the two of you can come to some kind of... _understanding_.” There was a twinkle in Claude’s eye, and Hubert saw Hilda’s own gaze go narrow and suspicious, as though they were having an unspoken conversation to which he was not privy. “Now, Her Imperial Majesty and I are going to go have tea. You two play nice.”

Claude spun on his heel, turning toward the door and giving the two of them a lazy wave as he walked out. In doing so, he also just so happened to boldly brandish the key he held in his hand. “We’ll be back in an hour or so. I’m sure you guys can find something you have in common.”

Edelgard sighed wearily as she looked from Claude to Hubert. “Don’t kill her, Hubert. I think Claude would take personal offense,” she said before following Claude out of the room. 

“I sure would!” Claude replied as the door slammed shut. Hubert and Hilda heard the turning of a key and the engaging of a lock, followed by a thick, oppressive silence.

For a while, they refused to do so much as look at each other. Hilda chewed her lip and found an interesting spot on the ceiling to examine, completely and pointedly ignoring Hubert. 

Trying to keep his temper in check, Hubert took a moment to assess his surroundings. The space was dominated by a large mahogany desk that sat in the center of the floor. There were two relatively comfortable looking chairs set on one side of the desk, and one chair on the other that faced the door. Other than those articles and the oil lamps on the walls, the office was bare, as it was one of several set aside for visiting dignitaries to make use of at their leisure. He could break out of the room quite easily, of course, but despite his current irritation with Lady Edelgard, he would never disobey a direct order so brazenly.

Hubert stood stock-still, his gaze fixed on the door as though he could bore through it that way as he considered the best way to handle the current predicament. At least, until Hilda broke the silent truce they had maintained for several minutes. She spoke without looking at him, eyes still fixed on the ceiling.

“This is all because of you and the stick up your ass,” she grumbled. “If you could take a joke or like, even talk like a functional human being, we wouldn’t be stuck in here.”

Hubert bristled. He was certainly not in the mood to put up with Hilda’s nonsense _any_ day, but least of all today, locked in a room with her. “I don’t want to hear a word out of you,” he snapped. “If it were not for Her Majesty’s insistence that it would harm diplomatic relations with Claude, I would have poisoned you two and a half days ago and been done with it.”

Hilda turned to look at him with a glower that would almost certainly intimidate a lesser man. “ _I_ don’t want to hear a word out of _you_ , Mister Tall, Dark, and Creepy,” she spat. “I’m missing tea, you made me look bad, Claude’s not gonna let me live this down for _weeks_ , and I’m stuck in here with _you_ . You have no idea what that’s like. You get to be in a room with _me_.” she spat. As if to prove her point, she flipped her long, obviously meticulously maintained hair behind her with one hand.

Hubert felt his temper flare. Red-faced and furious, he took a half step forward so that they were just under an arm’s length apart. “You would be well-served to mind your tongue before-”

“Oh my Goddess, before _what_ , you weird asshole?” Hilda interrupted sharply. “Before you ‘rip it from my head’ or some other edgy bullshit? I _don’t_ have the time or energy for this. Can you just shut up and go stand in the corner like a good boy?” She turned away from him and waved dismissively, walking toward one of the chairs facing the desk. 

Ordinarily, Hubert had better self control, but today, Hilda had managed to push him to a breaking point. As she turned away, her hair swished behind her, and he struck out with one white-gloved hand, catching a fistful of it. “How _dare_ you speak to me in such a way,” he growled, yanking her back toward him by her bright pink locks as though he were scruffing a misbehaving pet. Nothing could have prepared him for her reaction, however.

As he pulled, Hilda Valentine von Riegan, née Goneril, stopped in her tracks like a deer before a cavalry charge, and _moaned._

There was no mistaking the sound. Hubert may not have had much time or interest for carnal pleasures in his years by Lady Edelgard’s side, but he was no fool. The way Hilda moaned was akin to the noises made by a lover in the throes of passion. Despite himself, he felt his fingers go slack and his face redden.

Hilda whipped around to face him, eyes wide, blushing furiously. She clapped one hand over her mouth as though she expected she could shove the noise back in, but it was too late.

They stared at each other for a moment. Hubert felt the front of his trousers tighten. Hilda was infuriating, but she _was_ damnably attractive.

She looked at him, her hand gradually slipping down and away from her mouth to hang limply at her side. Her eyes roamed his body, and he saw her gaze catch for a moment around his hips before she found her way back up to his face. It was almost as though he could see cogs turning in her mind as she processed the last several seconds. Then she grinned, wickedy. Had this woman no shame?

“Well, well. _Hubert von Vestra_ ,” she purred, putting her hands on her hips and cocking an eyebrow at him, her tone positively lascivious. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

“I-I assure you, I am not,” he snarled, folding his hands in front of his waist to obscure the source of his shame. His posture was stiff and unnatural. “Certainly not to _you,_ of all people.” His words seemed to hold no real sting to her now, though, and she took a step toward him, still smirking.

“Oh, that explains _so_ much,” Hilda continued, looking pointedly at his hands, her own still on her waist as though they were stuck there. “Why you’re so uptight, I mean. And such an asshole. Pulling a girl’s hair and hearing her make one little noise is enough for you to pop an erection. It would almost be cute, if you weren’t so creepy.”

Hubert clenched his jaw so hard it felt like it was going to pop, his heart beating faster and anger rising in his chest. “Mind. Your. Tongue,” he hissed again. 

“What are you gonna do about it if I don’t?” Hilda teased, biting her lip. “You gonna pull my hair again? Make me moan? Maybe even come in your pants?” 

That was it for Hubert. He snarled, grabbed Hilda by the front of her short, knee-length dress, and whirled her around to put her back to one of the walls of the room. She yelped in surprise, seemingly caught off guard, and it was wonderful to wipe the smirk off her face, if only for a moment. 

And a moment, unfortunately, was all he got. 

They were close, far too close together, close enough for him to smell the light floral notes of her perfume. After Hilda’s initial shock had passed, she smiled even wider, showing him her canines.

“Why, Count Vestra!” Hilda hummed, faux-scandalized as she walked two fingers up his arm. “I am a _married woman_ , and your behavior is quite improper. Honestly, I thought better of you.”

“I would be shocked,” Hubert spat, as though he’d swallowed a bug, “if you had ever had a single _thought_ in your entire pitiful life.” His breath caught as Hilda slung one leg around him and pulled him close enough that their hips were pressed together, making him shiver with barely controlled arousal.

“Maybe you’re right,” Hilda sang, pushing herself against him, undoubtedly able to feel how painfully hard Hubert was. “But I bet I know what you’re thinking right now, Hubert. _I_ bet you’re thinking you’d like to bend me over that desk and ‘teach me some respect’ or something just as stuffy.”

He considered his options. Shameful though it was, he _was_ turned on; he’d be lying to claim Hilda wasn’t having an effect on him. Beyond that, she was a married woman, while Hubert had no such commitments. Thus, if he did just as the horrid little brat suggested, he would obtain _fantastic_ blackmail material. 

Material he could, perhaps, even use to silence her for good. A distinctly pleasant thought.

Hubert tilted his chin up, and looked down at Hilda with even more disdain than usual. It wasn’t too terribly difficult to manage. He felt no small amount of satisfaction when her own expression flickered for a moment, as though she’d not been expecting such a response. 

“For once, Hilda, you might actually be correct.”

In one smooth motion, he sidestepped her curled leg, removed himself from her embrace, and reached up behind her head. One hand clamped down on her neck and another found its way to the small of her back. Once he had a good enough grip on her, he pulled Hilda away from the wall and flung her down to the bare top of the desk. She cried out in surprise as she landed with a resounding ‘thud’, and the sound was music to his ears.

“I’ve been thinking about how nice it would be,” he began, holding her down as she struggled uselessly against his iron grip. “About how much I would _enjoy_ teaching you some respect. It seems that someone, as you were growing up, neglected such things.”

“You really love to hear yourself talk, don’t you?” Hilda said, her tone flippant despite the precarious nature of the situation she’d gotten herself into. “You gonna fuck me or not? I can walk you through the process if you need me to.” She wiggled her hips against him in a _very_ distracting way, and he pressed her down harder in response.

Hubert turned the hand on her neck over so that his palm was up, but he didn’t release any of the pressure. Instead, he grabbed another handful of her hair. Last time, the reaction he had provoked had been entirely accidental, but this time, he planned to make the most of his newly acquired knowledge.

He squeezed tight and yanked with a flick of his wrist, pulling Hilda’s head up and forcing her to face straight ahead with her chin on the desk, as opposed to off to the side. This had the added effect of making it harder for her to move her mouth, which pleased Hubert greatly. It was still possible for her to speak, but hopefully she would be less inclined to.

Of course, predictably, the tug on Hilda’s hair made her groan again, and this time it was exactly what Hubert was after. “Absolutely filthy. I’m amazed that Claude puts up with a degenerate like you, but I’m sure he must see something there worth having. Perhaps I’ll find out what it is,” he teased, moving his other hand from the small of her back to the hem of her dress. He flicked it up and over her hips, revealing the curve of her backside.

“That might be it,” he mused, running one hand delicately up the back of Hilda’s thigh, causing her to shudder. “Perhaps he’s like so many other men, a slave to his baser instincts, and finds you pleasant enough to get off with.”

Hilda growled something in protest, but Hubert wasn’t paying attention. He raised his hand high, the other still gripping Hilda’s hair firmly, and brought it down decisively against her ass.

The sharp impact, dulled slightly by Hubert’s glove, echoed through the room along with Hilda’s shriek. Luckily there were no other rooms near this one, or he would have been worried that someone might overhear. As it was, unless someone was listening at the door, they should have enough privacy. “Yes,” he said, quietly. “Yes, I think someone ought to have done that a long time ago.”

He felt Hilda take a deep, shuddering breath, and he could see, even from behind, that her face looked more flushed. “I cannot _believe_ you just spanked me!” Hilda squeaked, to which Hubert only chuckled. 

“No? Well, allow me to help you have a little more faith,” he said, raising his hand and bringing it down again, this time on the other cheek. Since she was bracing for it, she didn’t cry out quite as loud, but he tugged on her hair again as he made contact, and instead of a proper cry, it came out as more of a strangled moan.

Lifting that hand to his face, he tugged his glove off with his teeth and cast it aside, wanting to be able to feel her properly. Hilda Valentine Goneril was finally beneath him, where she _belonged_ , and he wanted to enjoy every moment of it. He hit her again, pairing it with another pull at her hair, a little thrill shooting through him at the delectable noises she made. He should have done this ages ago.

After striking her several more times, he took a break and let go of her hair. Her head, suddenly no longer supported, thumped down on the desk as she tried to catch her breath. It seemed that his violence had more of an effect on her than simply putting her in pain. “You were being rather coy before, Hilda. Has all that spirit fled you so easily?”

She laughed, sounding a little bit dazed, but still vexingly, tauntingly, _annoyingly_ in control of herself. “Not even close, Hubes. You’re going to have to do better than that. Between Claude and I, that’s just foreplay.”

“I must admit, I’m surprised that you’re still talking about your husband while you let another man fuck you. Is there no end to your depravity, Goneril?”

“It’s von Riegan, actually,” she corrected, but Hubert simply snorted.

“Is it? I couldn’t tell.” He reached down with one hand and grabbed at her smallclothes, yanking them down to her feet and then off of one ankle. She was wearing stockings, too, but he didn’t interfere with those. “Now, lets see exactly how depraved you _are_.”

Hubert slid one finger across Hilda’s slit, making her whimper softly, and it came away even slicker than he expected. He hummed to himself. “Really? You’re this aroused from being beaten?” Hubert observed, and that, at least, seemed to shut her up for a precious moment. “Filthy. You should count yourself lucky that I’m wasting my time.”

He reached down beneath Hilda and flipped her over onto her back. Surprisingly, she cooperated, and it required far less effort than moving her to the desk in the first place. Clearly, she wanted this at least as much as he did.

As he looked down at her, her legs spread, her face flushed, her pupils dilated, her chest heaving, he felt himself grow somehow even harder. He _needed_ to take her. It wasn’t simply a desire, it was a deep, nearly primal necessity. She met his eye, batted her lashes, and gave him that same infuriating, coquettish little smile. “Aww, Hubes, what’s the matter? Am I so beautiful you can’t think straight? You hate me, remember? Or is the stick up your ass keeping you from moving?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, he reached up and backhanded Hilda across the face hard enough that it made his hand sting. Her head jerked to the side, and she cried out in surprise and put a hand to her cheek where he’d hit her. The woman stayed still, just for a moment, as he’d caught her off guard. 

But it didn’t last. 

Hilda laughed, a deep, husky sound, as she looked back up at him. “Come on, Hubert, is that it? One little slap? I _know_ you want to hit me harder than that.”

She was right, of course, but he didn’t respond to her goading. Instead, he flicked open the buttons on his own trousers, letting them fall to the floor with his underclothes following soon after. He didn’t miss the way Hilda looked at him as his cock was freed from his garments. There was something salacious in her gaze, something hungry and wanting. For a moment, he wondered if he’d been played for a fool. But no. Impossible. He knew exactly what he was doing here, knew exactly who was in control.

Hilda hooked a leg around him again, her ankle colliding with his lower back, pulling him closer. She hummed, delighted. “Now there we go, _that’s_ what I was waiting for. It sure took you long enough.” As he stumbled forward, off balance and between her legs, he felt the head of his shaft grind against Hilda’s entrance. He gasped at how unexpectedly pleasant it felt. “You gonna get to it, or what?”

“What’s the hurry?” he asked, trying to regain his composure, instead running a hand up Hilda’s thigh, her torso. When he reached her chest, he grabbed the neckline of her dress and pulled down, exposing her large, supple breasts to the air. “Do you have somewhere to be?” 

Hubert palmed one breast, squeezing hard, then pinched the taut nipple at the tip. He cocked an eyebrow as Hilda whined at his touch.. “Well,” Hubert said, smirking. “A little sensitive, are we?” 

At that, she actually looked _away_ from him. 

“Fuck off, Vestra,” she mumbled, her hand snapping up to cover her mouth as he did it again, tugging this time, and twisting. He pulled his hand back and brought it down hard, slapping her across the chest and making her squeak in return. He took note of her use of his surname, and of her less playful tone.

“Whatever is the matter, Goneril? Where have your witty jibes and annoying interjections gone? Have you only now realized that you’re lying bare before me?” Hubert reached forward and put a hand on her collarbone to keep her steady. “Do you dislike being so vulnerable?”

“I told you to shut _up_ !” Hilda growled, squeezing her eyes shut and whimpering as Hubert dug his nails into the bare skin on her upper chest. “Stop messing around and- ah, _fuck!”_ she squealed as he pressed into her without warning or preamble. He thrusted deep, bottoming out inside Hilda with a gasp of exertion. She looked up at him, her mouth falling open slightly. 

Hubert pulled back, then moved forward again, pressing himself hard against her. His hand still on her collarbone, he put the other down on the desk beside her, leaning in as he began to fuck her. Once she recovered from the initial surprise, Hilda was meeting his eyes and gritting her teeth, grunting softly with every staccato thrust into her.

“Come on, Hubert. Harder than that. Come _on!_ ” Hilda demanded, wrapping her legs around him and pulling him tight against her, nearly kicking him, forcing him deeper, not letting him withdraw entirely. “Put the work in! Pretend I’m that _bitch,_ Edelgard. I’m sure you’d fuck _her_ like you meant it.”

Reflexively, as the words left her, he lifted his hand off her collar and slapped her again, open-hand, across the mouth. “Don’t you _dare_ speak her name in such a way,” Hubert growled, shoving himself into Hilda again, pounding at her in a way he could only describe as bestial.

“Why not? It makes you- ouch!” Her words were cut off as he hit her again, harder this time. It would almost certainly leave a bruise. Hilda coughed, and bared her teeth at him like a predator. “I don’t mind, you know. If you wanna close your eyes and pretend you’re fucking _her_.”

“I would never have such indecent thoughts about her Majesty,” Hubert said dismissively. Except...he _was_ , now that Hilda had suggested just that. In his mind’s eye, briefly, he saw _her_ face, twisted in ecstasy, saw _her_ beneath him, saw-

He shook his head, forcing the thoughts away. He would never, he _could_ never.

“I’m tired of listening to you prattle on,” Hubert snarled, and before Hilda could try to anger him again, he shoved three fingers of his bare hand in her mouth, pressing down on her tongue to keep her from speaking.

Hilda looked up at him through half-lidded eyes, chuckling, as she closed her mouth and swirled her tongue around the digits he had placed there. He paid her no mind, though, he simply enjoyed the moments with no Hilda-chatter as much as he could. 

As they went like that, finding a rhythm, Hubert felt himself approaching climax He suspected Hilda was as well, as she dropped a hand between her legs and began to rub her clitoris. He considered slapping her hand away, but he supposed he should at least let her _try_ to get off, as _he_ certainly had no interest in helping her do so.

  
He moved his free hand to her hips, holding tight, digging his fingers into the soft skin there as he watched her. Hubert looked Hilda in the eyes, saw them beginning to widen as she groaned around his hand. A moment later, she glared at him and bit down, hard, on his fingers. He grunted in pain and surprise, pulling them from between her lips as Hilda sucked in a deep breath and groaned aloud. 

“The hand thing was cute at first, Hubes, but it got old. I’m surprised I got on your nerves so much, so easy,” she purred, her voice trembling as she approached her peak. “I thought you were supposed to be all _calm_ and _collected_ and shit.” 

Refusing to rise to her bait, Hubert put his newly-freed hand down on Hilda’s other side, gripping tight and pulling her onto him as he moved his hips forward and back. 

“There we go, Hubert, there we go, there we- ah, Goddess!” Hilda cried out, and he felt her inner walls tighten around him, just as her legs pulled him closer and held firm. Her own hand moved in furious circles as she worked herself through her orgasm, twitching slightly. 

Hubert had to grit his teeth hard and concentrate to keep himself from coming inside her; as much as he wanted the ability to humiliate her as punishment for her ridiculous behavior, he didn’t want to risk getting Hilda pregnant. The very idea, that alone, was nearly sufficient to keep him from his own peak. 

Once she had calmed down and laid limp and tired on the desk, chest heaving with exertion, she looked up at him. “Wow, Count Vestra, I thought for sure you wouldn’t be able to hold back. Now, what should we do with you?” Hilda teased, tapping her cheek as though deep in thought. He rolled his eyes.

Reaching down and grabbing the front of her dress, bunched around her stomach, Hubert pulled out and dragged Hilda forward off the desk. She made a surprised sound, but followed his lead, going to her knees on the floor before him. 

“That seems like a good place for you,” Hubert hummed, and as she opened her mouth to say something indignant, he shoved himself between her lips. It felt...quite nice, he had to admit, and he didn’t attempt to hold back a groan. 

Hilda, seemingly willing to play along, blinked prettily up at him before sliding down his length, working her lips along the shaft, and reaching up with one hand to caress whatever parts of him weren’t presently in her mouth.

One of his hands found its way to the back of her head and he slid his fingers into her hair, grabbing tight. It didn’t take him long; he was already relatively close to his own orgasm, and he helped himself along by holding her head steady and thrusting into her mouth with as much force and speed as he could muster.

She let him, humming around his cock, doing what she could to work him over with her tongue. With one final thrust, pulling her tight against him and bottoming out at the back of her throat, he came, emptying himself into her mouth with a low, strangled groan. Waves of bliss washed through him, and he watched her choke on him for a moment, the sight only pleasing him more. Hilda slapped his thigh after a few seconds of this, seemingly struggling to breathe, and once he was finished, he let go.

Hilda pulled off him, her lip rouge smudged and her eyes wet with tears from her momentary struggles to breathe. She coughed a couple times and panted softly, leaning back against the desk and looking up at Hubert. He felt...better. Not perfect, but better, some of his prior anger and tension gone. Though he would sooner die than admit it, perhaps he _did_ need to attend to his physical needs from time to time. 

The two of them shared a glance, searching each other’s eyes for something. Hubert couldn’t say exactly what it was, but Hilda nodded, seemingly finding what she had been looking for. 

The woman stood, replacing her clothing as it had been when they entered the room. She pulled her smallclothes back up, fixed her dress, and smoothed out her hair. In mere moments, save for her smudged makeup, he couldn’t tell there had ever been anything amiss, and she could almost certainly write off the makeup as the result of worrying her lip or crying out of anger. Hubert was impressed by the speed of the change.

He replaced his trousers and underclothes to their prior states as well, buttoning himself back up and checking himself over. They were quiet, Hubert facing Hilda with his arms crossed in front of his chest, Hilda leaning back against the desk, half-sitting upon it. Once again, Hilda spoke first.

“So,” she began, clearing her throat and idly twirling one lock of hair around her finger. “Never gonna speak of this again, right?” Hilda didn’t look nervous, per se, but she watched him carefully as he pretended to mull over his response.

“Of course not. Unless…” He allowed himself to trail off as the corners of his mouth curled up in a devious little smile that even reached his eyes.

Hilda frowned. “Unless what, Hubert? Spit it out.”

“Well, Hilda, you did say earlier that you’re a _married woman._ If you continued to antagonize myself and my liege, I might have no choice but to let your husband know of your infidelity.” He laughed darkly. He had her, _finally_. A consequence Hilda wouldn’t be able to worm her way out of.

To his surprise though, she simply snorted and rolled her eyes. “Oh, was _that_ your game? I mean, you can tell him if you want, but I think it would be _way_ more embarrassing for you than for me.”

He frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. “You would be so casual about such a thing?” Hubert knew Hilda had a tendency to be rather blasé, but that was a little much, even for her.

“Oh, yeah. Claude and I have an arrangement. We’re married, but we’re not exclusive,” she said, as nonchalantly as though it was simply something she’d forgotten to mention. “So you can tell him if you really want to.”

Hubert, possibly for the first time in years, gaped openly. “But…” he stammered, frustrated. “But you...You didn’t…”

“Yeah, huh, it must have slipped my mind. What, did you think you were gonna be able to blackmail me or something?” she asked, the smile on her face widening wolfishly.

Yes. That was exactly what he’d thought. Hubert ground his teeth; she had played him like a Goddess-damned violin.

“In fact, if I know Claude,” she continued, tapping her chin. “He’s probably eating Edelgard out right now like some post-teatime dessert.” 

“ _What?_ ”

“Yep! So, come to think, actually…” she mused, sliding back onto the desk and kicking her legs against the side of it. “We probably have time for another round if you want.”

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to [tansybells](https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/tansybells/pseuds/tansybells) for being the world's best beta reader as always. If you'd like to come be locked in a small digital room with me, come find me [@spiderlilywrite](https://twitter.com/spiderlilywrite) on twitter!


End file.
